Apple says all devices affected by Meltdown and Spectre

Every iPhone, iPad and Mac computer is affected by two serious flaws in their computer chips. Apple announced that the Meltdown and Spectre bugs is affecting all iPhones, iPads and Macs. Apple have already said they have released some patches and so far, there is no evidence that this flaw has been exploited yet. They advise downloading software only from trusted sources to avoid “malicious” apps.

“Security researchers have recently uncovered security issues known by two names, Meltdown and Spectre,” it added. “These issues apply to all modern processors and affect nearly all computing devices and operating systems. All Mac systems and iOS devices are affected, but there are no known exploits impacting customers at this time.”

Android users are also being affected by the bugs affected Intel chips. Google has pushed out updates to its products and systems to defend against this issue.

That might mean that millions of Android users will need to purchase a new device to protect themselves from this chip vulnerability. More than 20 per cent of Android users are on operating systems that are no longer receiving security patches. They include KitKat, Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread.

How you can protect your device

Android users

Google has said it has updated its systems and affected products. To check for the update, go to Settings and then System and System Update. Google has advised Chromebook users to update to version 63 of the Chrome OS.

Apple and Mac Users

In December Apple released update macOS 10.13.2 which reportedly dealt with the majority of security concerns. The are more fixes coming in update macOS 10.13.3 according to AppleInsider and developer Alex Ionescu.

Mac users should check for software updates. Open the App Store app and click in Updates in the App Store toolbar. Download and install any updates available.

Windows Users

Microsoft released an emergency security update for users on Windows 10. That update will automatically be applied to computers, the Verge is reporting.

Fixes for Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines are also available, but won’t automatically be applied until next Tuesday. Users can manually search for updates by going to Settings, searching Windows Update and clicking Check for Updates.

So far no one has reported any exploitation of these flaws but the best advice is to update your device as soon as possible.

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